QASA Statement on Anti-LGBTI Bill in Ghana
March 5, 2024
Last week, Ghana’s parliament voted to pass the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill (Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill); if signed by President Nana Akufo-Addo, the law will criminalize merely identifying as LGBTQ with up to 3 years imprisonment, and “promoting” LGBTQ+ rights with 3-5 years. This bill targets the very existence of already deeply marginalized people; it threatens human rights activists and journalists; and it endangers Ghana’s constitutional democracy. The Queer African Studies Association condemns this unjust bill, and urges President Akufo-Addo not to sign it into law.